Adios to Kaichi, Poole and an encounter with an old friend

19/6 - I start off by admitting I have writer's block. I've been running off of the minimum amount of sleep during this trip to London; last night I had a total of two hours of sleep. But, it's all been worth it.

This weekend was a learning experience because my kids showed me how to write my name in Japanese. In the language, I am Maikeru (Mah-ee-ke-roo). On Saturday we were stuck in a classroom doing cultural activities, and just like last year it was a great way to break down language barriers. But unlike last year, my kids have been speaking to me in English with enthusiasm, without me having to facilitate anything.

But over the past few days I've noticed how Nono and Tatsuki have grown in confidence in terms of speaking English to me. The two are comfortable now. It really helps that they understand I am patient with them while they speak to me and search for that hard-to-find word. I've also shown I will help them finish a sentence for them if they need it.

I've enjoyed seeing how Shunsuke is the outgoing jock of the group, to how Ryunosuke is the shy and introverted one. I rarely hear him speak, but I know he is pretty good at composing music based on his oral presentation. Arima is...I'm not sure how to say it. The word that immediately comes to mind is "square." He follows all the rules and sometimes is a bit serious when Shunsuke teases him. I guess you could say he's a bit rigid. But, he speaks a lot and puts forth a great effort. I found out recently he joined the tennis club at school and lasted exactly one day because he didn't like the physical exertion tennis forces from you.

Nozomi was impressed when I used chopsticks while eating Chinese food in Chinatown today. She and Nono are very talkative now and so expressive it's a bit funny when I reveal some incredible fact of information, such as when I showed them my driver licence when I was 16 years old and had long hair. Yuma is a bit more reserved, but she constantly smiles and is nice to be around. Tatsuki is eager to speak English as well, and he has been known to troll with his group mates with a completely straight face, such as when he was trying to convince Shunsuke to drink watermelon juice at dinner today. None of them liked the juice!

We have just one more full day with this program, and it simply flew by. I highly enjoyed my second encounter with Kaichi High School and its students and do hope to participate again next year. I've noticed I'm more comfortable around the students as well because I already know how this turns out. No worries, no stress.

It also helps to not secretly take my group to Piccadilly Circus and later be caught by teachers, like last year...

20/6 - I've forged much better connections with the kids this week compared to last year. Most of them have been asking for my Facebook information or phone number, so I will probably keep in contact more with this group.

As with last year, I saw how competitive Japanese kids are when they play sports. We played Dodgebee today, a cross between dodgeball and frisbee. These kids are diving on the floor, jumping for everything and sprinting; it's impressive to see. The game was very fun, especially because I have the simple talent of throwing a frisbee correctly.

During the farewell party, the group gave me a thank-you poster with notes from all seven of the kids, along with my Japanese name spelled out in Kanji. It was incredibly cool, and something that did not happen last year. I smiled the whole time I read the notes, confirming what I thought about the elevated confidence of everyone. It was a great feeling to know it was a positive experience for the kids.

21/6 - The kids left Brunel University for good this morning, but not before I met them for breakfast one last time. I finally gave them my gift, which was a hand-written note for everyone along with chopsticks and British candy. But then I felt my gift was a tad too simple when I realized they were going to give me even more gifts! I now have plenty of Japanese candy and food, and Shunsuke actually signed a baseball he played with at Kaichi and gave it to me. That was the coolest thing I could have imagined.

With just a few more moments left with the kids, I taught them games they can play on the coach to the airport and in the airplane, and gave Arima and Shunsuke chest bumps. I wasn't emotional to see them go like many other people were, but I was happy and proud to have helped these kids improve their English and their confidence. I gave the kids my contact information and encouraged them to keep in contact, so I know it won't have been the final time we saw each other. I expect at least one of them to reach out; if not, it's no big deal.

 This year helping Kaichi was a massive success and I hope to do it again next year. While I took part with the selfish wish of traveling, I also had a positive impact on kids from another country. I want to make the world a better place, if even for just one person. I accomplished that goal for seven kids over five days; we traveled from opposite ends of the world to meet up in London, and it was a fantastic fit. Perhaps fate meant for an American and seven Japanese teenagers to meet up and accomplish something positive in a world filled with negativity. Here's to next year's Kaichi High School students.

After I left Brunel bogged down with so many gifts, I currently find myself in a familiar place: Poole. Being here is a welcome flashback to a year of my life, spent in a foreign place forging connections from all over the world and manufacturing crazy stories.

It is a place Bill and I terrorized the local pubs, such as the Jolly Sailor. In fact, I ran into Bill on High Street about 10 minutes after getting off the train. He's been sober since I left, and it's probably a good thing I'm not here to drink with him. I think that's why he didn't return my phone call when I first got into London. While it would have been nice to grab a coffee and catch up, I understand. He wasn't trying to be rude; it's just how British people are to avoid being too forward with someone.

Here's to the travel during the rest of the week to Cherbourg and Paris, and back to California.

Back to England, more Japanese students and issues at Heathrow

15/6 - Hello from London.

There was no feeling of eager, giddy excitement for me while waiting at the gate in LAX. This is just another familiar place; I know it well. London is like my other home. After arriving at Heathrow, taking the tube to Kings Cross and walking to my hostel, I feel completely at home here. I'm comfortable. The accents, the signs, the different language, cars that drive on the left side of the road, the ancient buildings...none of it present the unknown.

I first visited London in 2010 for a month. This is the first international city I visited in my life. While riding the tube from Heathrow, I reflected on the past six years and how my life has shaped up. London has obviously been a heavy influence on my life because I seem to find myself here quite frequently. This city has a special place in my being, and I'm thankful to be here again. In fact, it doesn't even feel like I'm traveling because I know this place too well. London is like that old friend you embrace and interact with as if the two of you never left, but in fact you haven't seen each other for years. I'm happy to be reunited with my old friend.

As for the journey here, there were of course some bumps along the way. My day started with my debit card being flagged down for fraud after I tried to buy a Eurostar ticket (the train that connects London to Paris) before notifying my bank. That meant I couldn't fill my car with fuel before leaving Porterville. I was getting stressed out and eventually had to laugh. No adventure is complete without a snag like that.

After landing at Heathrow, I waited an hour at border security. While talking to the customs agent, she got suspicious of me and retained my passport and made me sit in a small area out of the way with a couple of other people. She was gone with my passport for about 15 minutes. I think she got suspicious when I misunderstood one of her questions. She asked if I had been back to the United Kingdom or Ireland since I left England last September. I said no, not hearing the part about Ireland. That confused her because of the stamp from Ireland in my passport.

I flew with Air New Zealand because that was the cheapest ticket I could find, but it might be my new favorite airline. There were absolutely no issues at any point in the process. Customer service was friendly, the food was surprisingly fresh and tasty and the seats comfortable. To top it off, the airline produced a Men In Black spoof to present the safety spiel at the beginning of the flight. It was so creative it made me smile; no other airline has managed to make me enjoy the safety information video, so credit to Air New Zealand. This is difficult to do because that information becomes so repetitive the more you fly. You eventually know it by heart.

16/6 - I realized today I'm a Londoner. I do not get chills from the sites of Big Ben, Parliament or the London Eye anymore. They are simply features of the city. My friend Chris said this is how people who actually live in the city feel. But despite the lack of a chill down my spine, I'm still very much happy to be in London, a city that holds a special meaning to me. It was also great to stroll the city with Chris for a few hours.

I met my group from Kaichi High School today after arriving at Brunel University. There are seven kids in my group, each with a different level of English. Luckily, the group is more talkative than the one last year. It was also great to see friends from last year's program as well, including Jess, the woman who introduced me to it. I can already see how this year is much more different than last year. This is because I feel more confident and I already know people.

And this year, excuse me for sounding arrogant, but it seems I'm much more interesting just for the simple fact I flew from California to be here. The people who I have told that too were all surprised, and it's great fun to see Japanese students react to that kind of information. Additionally, the photo I sent the program several months ago features the huge beard I used to sport. I've already been told several times it looked great!

17/6 - Tatsuki, Shunsuke, Nono, Arimas, Nazomi, Ryunosuke and Yuma have already warmed up to me, compared to last year when it didn't happen until the second to last day. They all spoiled me on the bus back from Hampton Court today with gifts of food and Japanese soaps, and they are actually talking to me rather than me having to initiate all conversation. It's quite enjoyable.

At Bourton on the Water, all of the kids had an order of fish and chips, complete with tartar sauce and vinegar. I did much of the same as last year, such as taking the kids to that 1/9-size model of the village. We also spent a lot of time searching for a place that was open to serve food before noon. But the best part of the day was Shunsuke, with my encouragement, marching up to a group of local kids, introducing himself, shaking hands and speaking with them. That's how you strengthen your language skills! The kid is a stud (he plays baseball at school).

From left: Arima, Tatsuki, Shunsuke, Ryunosuke, Nozomi, Yuma, Nono, Michael

We also visited Hampton Court today. It's always interesting to stroll the palace and read more about the shenanigans of King Henry VIII and King George I; maybe I'm just getting old...

But typical of England, it rained off and on today interspersed with bright sunlight. I broke out my sunglasses, which inspired Nono and Shunsuke to rock shades as well. My group has already shown some personality!

Tomorrow we'll do group presentations and see a Kyogen, which will be translated into English this year. I'm really looking forward to it!

A new GoPro, library card and future travel plans

25/1 - I need to thank my parents for gifting me the ultimate sidekick to adventure: a GoPro camera.

Today was the first day I took it out and tested it. There's a large hill on the northeast part of Porterville where cell towers are located. It's tall enough to overlook the whole Valley and show parts of the mountains, so I stuck the GoPro to my forehead, hiked, took some video and snapped some pictures.

Just like over the summer on the motorcycle trip, using the GoPro was a blast. While playing around with it, I learned I could download the app on my iPhone and control the camera from there and look at the pictures and videos on the screen using the wifi signal. It's a trip to do that and the angle of the camera lens was especially cool.

The last time I hiked this hill in 2014, it and the surrounding area was brown from the drought. This time, it was a deep, luscious green will tall, healthy grass. It's beautiful! I had never seen this area so green before the rains came. Thank you, El Nino.

The future is filling up with travel plans again. At the end of March there are zero sports in Porterville for about four days. I see that as a perfect opportunity to go somewhere I've never been to in the United States. And right now, I'm most interested in visiting Chicago because of the many opportunities to engage in art and culture, eat some great food and visit some famous stadiums such as Soldier Field and Wrigley field. It'll also be another opportunity to Couchsurf.

In May, I'll visit my 17th country: Mexico. I have a friend who will meet me in Mexico City and drive me to his family's home in Tampico, a beach town on the east coast. He informed his family and they're totally cool with it. In fact, it sounds like his family welcomes his visiting friends with open arms. So spending my birthday on a Mexican beach and using Spanish for a week sounds damn good to me. The dates are finalized, but I have not bought a ticket yet.

I have nothing in the works for June, but I received an email from Kaichi High School in Japan today, inviting me to work with their students for a week in London again. Luckily, this happens late in June when there are few sports happening in Porterville, so getting time off should't be a problem.

And of course, my paid vacation begins in the middle of September. While that's the middle of football season, I'll still take time off to go visit friends in Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. Either that, or go visit a friend in Taiwan or Japan. The possibilities are endless here as there are so many places to visit and not enough time.

Before living in England, I never thought of seeking out opportunities for short traveling adventures. My mindset has shifted; looking for opportunities and small blocks of time to travel has now become regular practice. Probably the best thing about 2015 is how I now have a reason to go abroad every year, like to speak English with Japanese high school kids in London.

I like this new lifestyle that will plague me forever.

On a more mundane note, I have a library card for the first time in many, many years. I'm using the resources in the Porterville Library to study for the ASVAB, the test on which I need to score highly for the Coast Guard application.

Farewell to Paris, a cultural mecca

6/9 - 6 September, 2015: the day I fell in love with Paris. This was one of those days when everything added up to create one perfect day. There was nothing I'd change about it, as every pause, every decision to turn left or right, every decision to stop and listen to live street music turned out to be a brilliant decision that added to a day that compares with the best, made-for-forevor-memory adventures.

I can see why Parisiens say they fell in love with this city; no matter where you go, there is some sort of history, some sort of culture, some sort of art just waiting around the corner to be explored.

I leave Paris having had the complete opposite experience from 5 years ago. It was much more enjoyable. It didn't feel as if this was a foreign place; in fact, I was comfortable. Though one would think Spanish is of no use in France, I think it's a big reason why my time has been so much better. There are numerous Spanish and French words that are similar to each other, and because of that I can understand a little bit of written French. 

I've written about how adventures can only be an adventure if it is unplanned. You can't plan befriending a group of 4 Japanese law students visiting from Japan, going to dinner with them and helping them get comfortable speaking English with us. It was just like with the Kaichi students; it helps to simplify your language and speak slowly and clearly. Add in the reassurement that it's OK to make mistakes while speaking as long as others understand what you want to communicate, and they were very appreciative. We spent the afternoon and evening with them and got their contact information. When I visit Japan, I will now have a guide. Add that to the list of new countries I want to visit because I have contacts there now. Perhaps a Taiwan-Japan trip could be in the works in one year.

Though I left with a different perception of Paris, my view of the Louvre remains unchanged. I knew 5 years ago if only I visited again, expecting the crowds, I'd enjoy it more. Nope. It's a rip-your-hair-out stressful situation, especially around the Mona Lisa. The painting is behind glass, and there is a barrier 5 feet in every direction. Against this barrier is a massive crowd made up of all walks of life, each person craning their neck and sticking their camera in the air hoping to get a good picture; it's as if they're watching a rock concert. Especially on the first floor, there are waves upon waves of groups of tourists, intent on nothing besides snapping a picture. There are crowds blocking staircases, couples standing in the middle of paths, taking pictures and people simply walking around, recording with a selfie stick.

FUCK selfie sticks.

A selfie stick is a useful tool when you're doing something amazing, like jumping a motorcycle over a canyon, driving a car straight into a flaming stack of barrels and then flipping in the air while flames lick the side paneling or skydiving and then flying straight through a rock tunnel on the side of a steep and jagged mountain, not when you're standing in line for a museum. It makes you look stupid and narcissistic.

An art museum shouldn't make you feel this way, and this is why the Louvre is not the best art gallery in Paris; that honor goes to the Picasso Museum. So I decided to head towards a quieter and much less populated part of the museum, an area in which I knew my favorite painting is located. It's a French piece depicting Gabrielle d'Estrees. I remember it from 5 years ago because it's the most unique and thought-provoking painting in the museum (in my eyes). Needless to say, after communicating with museum employees in sign language, I was very excited to come across it again.

Having seen my favorite painting, the trip was a success. This just goes to show that the whole point of traveling is to meet completely random people, make new friendships and see the world, and all of this expands your mind while shrinking the world. If you have a chance to go somewhere, anywhere, new, take it.